Blog Post

2015 PCs down 6.2%, Tablets down 3.8%

For the 4th year running, PC shipments will decline this year, says IDC, while tablet and 2-in-1 sales will also decline but more slowly.

This year, shipments are expected to fall 6.2%, 2016 is forecast to be “stabilised” followed by “limited growth for the next few years,” says IDC’s Loren Loverde.

The tablet and 2-in-1 market is expected to reach 221.8 million units in 2015, a decline of 3.8% from 2014.

The market has declined now for two consecutive quarters.

Cellular-capable tablets and 2-in-1 devices still represent a small portion of the entire market but are expected to grow in 2015 and beyond. IDC forecasts that this segment will grow at a five-year CAGR of 5.6% compared to Wi-Fi-only devices, which will experience a negative five-year CAGR of 0.4%.

“A transition around size of the displays has also begun to take its course, with the share of small-screen tablets expected to drop from 64% of the market in 2014 to 58% in 2015, and declining to just under 50% by 2019,” says IDC’s Ryan Reith, “this illustrates the direct impact phablets are having on the market, as users with larger screen smartphones have tended to have less need for a tablet with a screen size comparable to their smartphone. This also has some impact on overall ASPs as larger screen devices tend to cost more.”